A teenager obsessed with Harry Potter creatures says the stories have become a reality after doctors discovered “monster tumours” growing teeth and eyes inside her body.
Nesli Meir had been on holiday in Guatemala when she began getting sharp abdominal pains which she initially suspected could be appendicitis. The 17-year-old’s agony continued for two days until CT scans revealed the horrifying truth.
The teenager has now been diagnosed a tennis ball-sized teratoma tumour, often nicknamed a ‘monster tumour’, which – although benign – has eaten her right ovary. Nesli underwent the CT scan back at home in San Diego, California, which revealed the mass may even have its own eyeball.
Since the discovery, doctors have also found a teratoma tumour the size of a fingertip. Light-hearted Nesli has now named the pair Terry and Tommy in TikTok videos in an attempt to bring dark humour into the situation.
Nesli grew up loving Harry Potter and wanted the franchise’s Book of Monsters as a childhood birthday cake, according to mum Rachel Silber. But Rachel, 55, has joked her daughter’s love of the creatures has morphed into something quite real, adding that the tumour “freaks her out”.
Now Nesli fears she’ll need her right ovary removed because the larger 7 cm-wide mass means she ‘doesn’t have much tissue left’. The teenager said: “The CT scan showed I had a teratoma and it was really scary because of how big it is. They narrowed it down to a teratoma because it has calcification which means [it has] a tooth.
“The lady that did the ultrasound said there is a spot that could be an eyeball because it has liquid in it, so we’re waiting until the surgery to find out.” Nesli said the pain was still “really bad”. “I’m afraid of surgery so I’m not looking forward to having that done,” she added.
“They will see what’s in it when they take it out of me but I researched what they might grow and one girl had a whole jaw in hers. That freaks me out. The video I made definitely helps me make light of the situation and [I get to] see people who are going to get their pain checked.
“Someone made fan-art of the tumours and I will put it up as a poster in my room. The whole thing is a crazy ride. If anything hurts in that area and won’t go away for more than a day I would definitely tell people to get it checked.”
Mum Rachel, from San Diego, California, said: “It’s really strange. This is a new thing for us because we hadn’t heard the word teratoma before and it means monster tumour. This little kiddo grew up with Harry Potter and wanted The Monster Book of Monsters as a birthday cake, so I joke with her and say she internalised her birthday cake.
“I’m freaked out because it’s like an alien baby without it being a baby or an alien. I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s very different and very strange.”
Nesli admitted she is worried about not being able to have kids but tries to make light of the situation through videos on TikTok. Her most viral clip has more than 18 million views and 13,000 comments, including some matching her tone and playfully joking about the tumour.
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